Sky
Skylar Noah Arden
I don't know what girls usually do when they find out their boyfriend is cheating, but I helped mine pack his shit and get out of my apartment.
Then I promptly sold that apartment and started searching for somewhere else to start afresh.
I may have miscalculated a little bit though.
See, it's mere days before Christmas, and apparently every realtor in New York City is on vacation. So, I couldn't exactly find a new place on such short notice. Not to mention, every hotel in the city seems to be booked full.
I've been staying at my best friend Charlie's for the past few nights, but her little sister is a compulsive gum chewer, and also a menace. I can only take so much gum in my hair before I snap and break the little shit's neck.
Though, Casey may be a menace, I have to admit she's got her perks.
Her obsession with her downstairs neighbors is downright scary as fuck, but at least she learnt they had a room they were gonna rent - a golden opportunity for me to get the hell out of her orbit.
That's what brings me here today, in front of three very confused guys.
They're all sat opposite me, lined comically from tallest to shortest.
If Casey and I could stand each other for more than five minutes at a time, she'd have given me entire biographies on these guys. Thank god she stuck to a basic summary - if not only so I don't embarrass myself and by extension, her.
"You're a girl," the guy on the right says.
Carter Kiernan. Casey's crush.
He's the tallest. That lean, muscular frame is vaguely familiar. According to the president of his fan-club, 'he's a hockey legend'.
"Great observation," I remark sarcastically with my best saccharine smile.
"So Skylar is a girl?" The guy in the middle asks.
Jordan Lennon.
I'm pretty sure I've seen this 'blonde haired, blue eyed man-whore' - as Casey so graciously dubbed him - in a few articles and magazines. Which makes sense, considering he's a model.
"I think so. Last I checked, I'm pretty sure I had lady parts. Since birth actually." I nod.
"And you're Skylar Noah Arden?" The guy to the left asks.
Blake Ellis.
Despite being the shortest of the trio, he's still got at least half a foot on me - and I'm not exactly a short woman. The sheer amount of muscle, and his constant sneer, does little to ease the intimidation he oozes. And I really hope that large bruise on his face is just from some minor scuffle. I know that's probably not the case, though. Chances are, it's from one of his underground boxing matches. Casey was spot on with his description. He truly does look 'tall, dark, and really fucking scary'.
Apparently the last and final roommate, Alexus Madden, is supposedly worse than Blake.
He's not here though, so that's still left to be seen.
"You wanna see my ID?" I ask, already pulling it out of my purse.
Blake shakes his head. "No need."
"Your parents must have really hated you if they gave you the trifecta of boy names," Jordan comments.
I shrug. "My dad wanted a son."
He's probably turning in his grave right now because his daughter grew up to be a fashion designer, loving frills and frocks, and not sports like he'd actually wanted.
"I think it's cool," Carter says, then rushes to explain himself. "Your names... not your dad wanting a son bit."
I snort at his flustered appearance. I can see why Casey has a crush on the big goofball.
"We get it. She's a girl. Move on," Blake tells his roommates. He then turns his attention on me. "I'm sorry, but you don't qualify to be Roommate No.5."
"Why? Is it because I don't have a penis?"
"Yes. Exactly. Because you don't have a penis."
He's already leading me toward the door.
"Sorry, this is a bachelor pad. No girls allowed," Jordan adds.
Only Carter seems truly sorry to kick me out. He gives a little wave as I'm escorted out.
I stick my high heel into the rug, almost falling and smooching the floor. I originally thought the big, ugly rug was a stupid decision for the living room, but now it aids in stopping our progress to the door.
"What kind of heartless people would kick a woman out just days before Christmas?" I give them my best puppy dog eyes.
"We-" Blake gestures to himself and the other two "-are the kind of heartless people who'd kick a woman out just days before Christmas."
"I can cook!" I say helplessly.
That's a lie. I don't even know how to operate a stove.
Blake looks back to his roommates.
Jordan looks unsure, while Carter is nodding his approval.
"I'll cover the groceries." I'm just bargaining at this point.
Judging by the slight twitch of Blake's lips, I think I have his vote. Only the man-whore, Jordan, is left not budging.
I groan. "It's only for a few weeks."
That hits the nail on the head.
Jordan engulfs me in a bone crushing hug. "Welcome home, Temporary Roomie." He pulls away from me slightly. "I expect breakfast to be served before seven. I'm on a Mediterranean diet, so keep that in mind. The fridge looks bare, so be a dear and fetch some groceries will yah."
"Anything else, your highness?" I ask.
Jordan ignores the mocking tone. "Not yet. Stick to your terms and all will be well and fine in Casa de Jordan."
"It's Casa de Everyone, you narcissistic asshole," Blake reminds him.
"This seems like a nice segue to introduce the contract," I reach into my purse to grab the wad of pages.
"Contract?" My new roommates ask in unison.
"To ensure you don't kick me out before our agreed timeframe has ended." I explain, placing the stack of papers on the coffee table. I hold out a pen to the guys. "Sign it."
Carter - bless his sweet, naïve heart - grabs the pen and signs without hesitation, leaving the other two staring at him in bewilderment.
"Why the fuck would you sign something without reading it first!?" Jordan screeches.
Carter scoffs. "Like you would actually read anything."
"Hell no. That's what my lawyer's for."
"Just trust her a little."
"Trust her? I don't even know her!" Jordan screeches again.
Blake glares at him like he's ready to rip his voice box out.
Instead, he shoves Jordan out of the way, picks up the pen, and signs his name right next to Carter's.
Jordan let's out a dramatic gasp.
"Why the-" Blake cuts Jordan off.
"I don't have time to listen to you bitch about shit. She comes with food and that's good enough for me." He pulls Jordan in by the lapels of his neatly pressed shirt, and warns, "You will not come between me and food. Understand?" Jordan nods. "Good. Now sign the damn thing or I'll invite the stalker from upstairs to have dinner with us."
Jordan's mouth falls open in shock.
"You'd actually invite Crazy Casey into our apartment?"
Crazy Casey. That nickname suits the little nut-job perfectly.
Blake narrows his eyes. “If I have to, I will.”
I've never seen a man sign anything so fast in my life. They must really not like Casey. And I can't fault them for that.
When Jordan drops the pen, I clap my hands in joy. "I'll go grab my stuff from upstairs!"
"Wait. Upstairs? As in the penthouse suite? You're staying with Crazy Casey?" Jordan looks understandably terrified. I wouldn't want to have any sort of link to Casey either.
"No." Jordan almost sighs in relief. "I was staying with Crazy Casey. Now I'm staying with you guys!" I'm skipping out of apartment thirteen as I say over my shoulder, "And you can't go back on your word. We have a contract!" I wave the papers in the air.
The conversation between my new roommates just before I exit the apartment is almost hilarious.
"What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into?"
"Alex is gonna kill us."
"We should probably get out of here before he gets back."
I regret leaving poor Rex with Casey.
But Charlie had an urgent meeting and her demonic sister was the only dog-sitter I could find on short notice. The last thing I wanted to do was bring the giant dog along with me to meet the guys. What a great impression that would've been.
Now, I'm back and my fur-buddy looks miserable.
"Casey!" I call out.
She sticks her head out of her room and sighs in relief when she sees me.
"Thank god, you're back." She points to Rex. "That thing scares the shit out of me. I fed him and everything, but he still kept barking and chasing me around!"
"Did you take him outside to do his business?"
"Haven't you thought him how to go outside by himself yet?" She looks at me like I’m the crazy one here.
God, give me patience.
"No, Casey. He can't open doors yet. Therefore he can't let himself out." I sigh. "Thanks for feeding him. I'll just go take him for a walk."
Casey nods frantically. "Yes. Go. Take him away."
I roll my eyes, leading my furry buddy out the door and away from the maniac.
Almost an entire thirty minutes later, and the big, grey dog refuses to relieve himself.
"Come on man, I just chastised Casey for you. The least you could do is pee against a pole or something before we head back home."
His eyes meet mine and he barks at me in challenge.
I realize it's ridiculous to argue with a dog, but the last time he didn't empty his bladder in time, the contents wound up on Casey's pillow.
I might find her annoying, but I really don't want to repay her and Charlie's kindness with dog pee on their furniture.
"We'll stay out here all day if we have to, Rex," I warn.
It's a damn lie, though. I'm freezing my ass off, and the last thing I need is to get pneumonia because of a little snow, bad weather, and a stubborn dog.
Thankfully, after a final petulant bark, Rex caves, running to the nearest pole and emptying his bladder.
He comes galloping back to me, almost running over a man who's busy talking on his phone.
"Watch it, big guy!" The man hollers at him.
Rex gives a bark of acknowledgment in return, but doesn't stop on his route back to me.
"Sorry!" I apologize to the man, but he doesn't pay me any attention.
I roll my eyes. New Yorkers. They have time to chastise a dog, but not to accept an apology.
I sigh in relief when the big dog makes it to me without any casualties.
Then I hear a loud thud.
I look up, and the man has fallen... right where Rex just peed.
Why did I have to jinx it?
I rush over to the man, and Rex is quick on my heels.
He gets to the man before I do, and stares down at him curiously.
"Are you okay?" I ask the man.
He grunts in response.
I take a second to assess him. It's a little hard to stay focused, though, because I keep getting lost in his eyes.
They're so striking.
One moment you're gazing at beautiful blue orbs, and the next you're basically falling into the crystal clear water of an untouched cenote.
That seems to jolt me out of it. Falling isn't something I need right now. Not when I'm trying build my life back up.
I shake my head to snap out of it and continue to check him for any damage.
He doesn't look visibly hurt.
Once the relief washes over me, the hilarity of the situation settles in.
He just slipped and fell on dog pee.
I almost can't contain my laughter.
I resist the urge to snort, though, and help the man to his feet.
"I'm so sorry," I apologize.
"What for?" He asks, confused. "You didn't trip me."
"Um... you just slipped on dog pee," I wince.
The man groans, shrugging his coat off hurriedly, like it's on fire, and holds it hesitantly by the collar, as though it's diseased. Then he lays eyes on the giant dog, finally understanding why I apologized.
"You owe me a new coat," he tells Rex, jokingly I assume.
Rex barks back at him.
"I'm really sorry," I apologize once more.
"It's fine," the man grunts.
"I can buy you a new coat," I offer.
"It's fine," he repeats, then turns and walks away without another word.
I'm about to chastise Rex, when my eyes spot something on the ground. It looks like a driver's license.
"Hey! You dropped something!" I call after the man, grabbing it off the ground.
I jog the short distance between us, and he spins around to face me. My eyes connect with electric blue ones.
I feel my heart beating rapidly in the confines of my chest. I don't know if it's because of the jogging, or from his piercing eyes on me.
Regardless, I break eye contact.
Where the fuck has my confidence disappeared to?
"You dropped this," I hold the license out to him.
He reaches for it, his hand momentarily grazing against mine, and my breathe hitches.
It's not because of the little zap of electricity that passes between us, though.
No.
It's because I caught the name on the driver's license.
Alexus Madden.
"Thanks," he says, pocketing his driver's license and walking away.
Well, fuck. This is not how I pictured meeting my last roommate.
